Month: May 2016

Sandra is a happily married mother of two teenage boys, an avid reader, compulsive writer, and rabid chocoholic. Her work has appeared in Jim Baen’s Universe, Ideomancer, Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine, the anthologies Fear of the Dark and Triangulation: Last Contact, and as podcasts on The Drabblecast, Pseudopod, and Tales to Terrify. She is a graduate of Clarion West 2010, and associate member of the SFWA.

Brenda J. Pierson is a fantasy author and editor who wants to write like Brandon Sanderson when she grows up. She has Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, Hypermobility type like our illustrious hostess, along with a constellation of secondary conditions like fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, migraines, anxiety, and more. When she isn’t writing she’s probably reading, playing RPG video games, or eating tacos (mmm, tacos). She’s living the good life with her husband and kitties in her hometown of Tucson, Arizona.

Her new novel, Joythief, is a Persian-inspired fantasy world with a poison that steals the part of a person they love the most. She doesn’t often admit it, but this story was born from her struggle with losing mobility to pain and injuries from her EDS. You can learn more about her on her website, Facebook, Twitter, and check out her publishing company, Incandescent Phoenix Books.

Instead of a long introduction and all sorts of flowery things I could say, I’m just going to jump on in this week. If you’re reading this discussion, chances are you’re in it for the long haul, so enjoy, and please add your insights!

Note: This was first posted on SF Signal on December 9, 2014. I wanted to repost it this month, as May is Williams Syndrome Awareness Month.

Mercedes Murdock Yardley is a friend of mine. We talk frequently, and commiserate about health issues neither of us can control, just deal with as best as we can. She’s an up-and-coming author with several books under her belt, and more on the way. She’s creative, and passionate, and an absolute joy to talk to.

One of the things that always gets me about her writing, especially now that I know her on a personal level, is how certain aspects of her life fuel her books. Her books are dark and delicious, with a shocking (and quite refreshing) innocence, and an undertone of deep, profound loss, all of which is reflective of the life she has lived, and the challenges she faces daily.

I asked her if she’d be willing to open up with me about her life, her son with Williams Syndrome, and how it has all impacted her writing. This conversation is the result of that. Huge thanks to Mercedes for being willing to talk about these tender topics.

Frohock has turned a love of dark fantasy and horror into tales of deliciously creepy fiction. She lives in North Carolina where she has long been accused of telling stories, which is a southern colloquialism for lying.

Peter Orullian has worked in marketing at Xbox for nearly a decade, most recently leading the Music and Entertainment marketing strategy for Xbox LIVE, and has toured as a featured vocalist internationally at major music festivals. He has published several short stories. The Unremembered is his first novel. He lives in Seattle.

A few weeks ago Chuck Wendig wrote about his anxiety on Terribleminds. It was a fantastic essay, and I was incredibly glad that someone with a voice as powerful as his decided to write about a subject that really doesn’t get talked about often enough. I decided to bother Mr. Wendig until he let me ask him ten questions which elaborated on points he made in that essay.

I highly suggest you read the original essay, and a massive THANK YOU to the busiest man in the genre for letting me take up some of his time with my pesky interview. I’ve admired and followed Chuck for a long, long time, and being able to interview him was, hands down, one of the highlights of my six years in the genre.

Note: This is a discussion of the first nine chapters of Otherbound. It will contain spoilers, but I also try to avoid too many spoilers. Regardless, if you haven’t read this book yet, you probably don’t want to read this.

About the Book

Amara is never alone. Not when she’s protecting the cursed princess she unwillingly serves. Not when they’re fleeing across dunes and islands and seas to stay alive. Not when she’s punished, ordered around, or neglected.

She can’t be alone, because a boy from another world experiences all that alongside her, looking through her eyes.

Daniel Weaver is an internationally published author of several short stories in the horror, thriller, and dark fantasy genres. His work has appeared in various publications, anthologies, podcasts, and blogs, including notable markets such as Danse Macabre, and Morpheus Tales. Additionally, he has served in a variety of roles for various independent publishers, including submission editor, associate editor, and public relations manager.

He has recently finished his debut novel, an upmarket thriller that presents an intense character study of an abuse survivor nestled between familiar tropes of the horror genre, which he is presently in the process of securing publication for it.

Tili Sokolov primarily writes reviews and criticisms of science fiction and fantasy prose and comics. Her review of Ms. Marvel was recently published in The Cascadia Subduction ZoneVol 5. No. 4: Oct. 2015 issue, “Special Focus: The Edge of Difference in Comics and Graphic Novels”. In 2014, she completed an undergraduate thesis, “Reading At an Angle: Theorizing Young Women Reading Science-Fictionally,” which you can read here. She live in Manhattan with her partner, where she spends her time reading, writing, watching cartoons, cooking ambitiously, and attempting to teach herself the guitar. She’s quite active on Twitter and Tumblr and would love to connect with you there to discuss anything on her website or related topics. You can also find her on Goodreads.